It almost doesn’t feel right to try and condense a
film as powerful as
The Theory of
Everything into a blog post. The film,
which is far and away one of the most emotionally resonant and deeply moving
films I’ve ever seen, was an absolutely stunning portrayal of one of the
greatest minds to ever walk this earth.
Directed by James Marsh, the biopic does more than show the genius of
Stephen Hawking. It shows the deep
rooted power of love and its ability to help human beings defy insurmountable
odds.
When most people hear the name Stephen Hawking, they
immediately think of the genius in a wheelchair with some disease who speaks
through a computer; that generic, emotionless, monotone which has become synonymous
with the famed physicist. But Eddie
Redmayne’s portrayal of the man behind the voice and the chair transcended
acting in a way rarely seen. He WAS
Stephen Hawking. His anger and
frustration is perceptible as he slowly slips into complete paralysis. And yet, Redmayne is able to show the man
within the body, never losing his sense of humor and conveying loss, hatred and
jealousy through his unresponsive visage.
Beginning in the early 1960’s, a young Stephen Hawking
is in the prime of his life and pursuing a PhD in Physics at the University of
Cambridge. While there two life changing
milestones confront Hawking nearly back to back. The first is meeting the love of his life, literature
student Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones); the second is his soul crushing diagnosis
with ALS. Hawking learns he has an
estimated two years to live while his muscles slowly deteriorate into useless
masses. Jane, whom he tries to persuade
to leave, opts to stick it out and make Stephen’s remaining time on this planet as happy and comfortable as possible.
Despite everything, Hawking completes his PhD, marries Jane and even has
children as he continuously defies the odds which were so abruptly stacked
against him.
The film is as much the story of Jane Hawking as it is
her husbands. The struggles she endures
and her unwavering support year after year is both uplifting and heartbreaking
at the same time. Their relationship is
one rooted in hope and built entirely on their love for one another. Over the course of Hawking’s life Jane
remains one of the few people who sees Stephen for who he was before the
disease decimated his body leaving only his mind intact. She continues to be the constant reminder
that there is a normal man trapped inside his shell, which only serves to make the films climax all
the more powerful.
This is a film that EVERYONE needs to see. It shows us the almost unimaginable power of
hope and love against a backdrop of suffering and emotional hardship. It reaffirms how lucky each and everyone one
of us are and teaches us to not take our lives for granted. In this way, we are humbled to watch a man
accomplish so much in the face of such odds.
It allows for a level of self-reflection often not present in film. Much like Hawking’s brilliant theories on
time and the universe, the film is perfection.
I haven’t reviewed an album in a while and that is mostly
because I haven’t heard one in full which was worth talking about. However, I recently went and saw Ex Hex at
the Sinclair and boy was it a show to remember.
I originally went to see two local openers the first of which absolutely
killed. But Ex Hex was a band that had
been on my radar for some time after lead singer/guitarist Mary Timony formed
the band Wild Flag alongside Sleater Kinney's Carrie Brownstein. After an incredible set I picked up their debut record and after several times through, it only keeps getting better. Entitled “Rips” the album contains twelve
nearly perfect tracks of 80’s infused, guitar driver pop rock. Album opener “Don’t Wanna Lose” establishes
the "love theme" which is present in most songs on the album and starts things
off with a whiny guitar sound which is ever present throughout the record. “New Kid” calls to mind early Joan Jett and maintains a steady baseline with layers of lead and rhythm
guitar which play off each other superbly.
Betsy Wright’s bass and Timony’s guitar work bounce back and forth like
a perfectly timed ping pong match. “How You Got That Girl” is one of the two
tracks written by Wright and hearkens back to 80’s giants like
Pat Benatar with a chunkier rhythm and the snappy guitar squeals which define
Ex Hex’s sound. Heavy track “Beast” is a
slap in the face before the haunting, muted “Everywhere” takes things in a different direction. Later on “You Fell Apart” is right on track
with other 80’s revivalists of today sounding like a cross between the Dum Dum
Girls and L.A. garage pop vixens Bleached.
The album closes just as strongly as it begins with the upbeat “Radio On”
bringing more sing along choruses and bubbly new wave a la The Go Go’s. Closing track “War Paint” has one of the best
lines of the album as Timony sings “Put your war paint on and dance alone in
the crowd”. This sums up Ex Hex. They are who they are and they do what they do and you'll just have to deal with it. A band which clearly comes out of the
marginalized, loner portion of society and provides the world with the kind of
catchy radio rock which is friendly enough for your grandma and rough enough
for your cousin going through his punk
phase. Although still relatively fresh
having just released their debut back in October of 2014, the band is
incredibly tight live and is destined for a phenomenal follow up in my
opinion. Keep your eyes peeled and catch
them if you can because I’m sure they won’t be playing such small venues for
much longer.
